Instagram has a plan to tackle fake news

17th Aug 2019 | Source: BBC

The social media platform is adding an option for users to report posts that they think don't look quite right or which contain false information.

Once Instagrammers use the new 'false information' tool to report content, the company says it will use these reports to train artificial intelligence to seek out dodgy content in the future.

At the moment, the new tool is only available to users in the US, but Instagram is hoping users all over the world will be able to use it in two weeks' time, via the reporting function alongside posts.

Why are Instagram doing this? Well, there's lots of false information on the internet right now.

Facebook, which own Instagram, wants to improve the way it deals with this misinformation and it wants users to get involved.

Stephanie Otway from Facebook said: "This is an initial step as we work towards a more comprehensive approach to tackling misinformation."